Fish-stringer.



W. M. MIKELL.

FISH STRINGER.

APPucATfoN HLED JULY 1|. 191s.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

awn who's WIN/26662,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. WILLIAM m. MIKELL, or BLACKSHEAR, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR or cine-nan!v r0 MIKELL,

- NoBLEs AND comrAuY, or BLAGKSHEAR, GEORGIA.

FISH-STRINGER.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Application filed July 11, 1916. Serial No. 108,659.

To all whom z't-n'eay concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. MIKELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blackshear, in the county of Pierce and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fish-stringers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fish stringers or carriers for supporting a number of fish and it has for its object to provide a device of this character having means for securely retaining the fish upon the carrier to prevent accidental removal of the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of this character which will conveniently support a number of fish thereupon whereby the same may be readily transported from place to place.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of this character which contains the novel features of simplicity, durability and efiiciency, and furthermore a device whichmay be manufactured at a nomi nal cost.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the specification is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device constructed in accordance with my invention showing one of the stringing members in released position; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, my

invention com rises a frame generally in-- dicated as at which is formed in this instance of a single piece of resilient wire bent intermediate its ends to provide the loop handle 1. The ends of the handle are intertwisted upon themselves to rovide the shank 2, the ends of the shank being bent at right angles as at 3 to provide the angular offset portion 4. The ends of the ofi'set portions 4 are bent downwardly at right angles to the portions to provide the parallel rigid members 5 of the stringing elements generally indicated as at B. To hold the rigid members 5 in rigid spaced parallel positions, I provide the same with a plate 6, preferably arranged adjacent the juncture of the rigid members and the offset portions, the same having its opposite extremities secured to the rigid members 5 whereby the members will be held in parallel spaced relation. The free ends of each of the rigid members 5 are bent upon themselves in substantially U- shaped formation to provide the resilient movable members 7 of the stringing elements B, the free ends of theslatter belng flared outwardly as at 8 and terminating at a point above the upper end of the rigid members. Twisted about the shank 2 is the intermediate portion 9rof a rigid wire 0, the opposite ends of the wire C extending at right angles from the opposite sides of the shank 2 and terminating in reversely disposed return bends 10 to provide the keepers 11. The free ends of each of the keepers 11 are bent inwardly as at 12 and are adapted to normally lie in spaced relation to the-shank portion of the wire C whereby the ready insertion of the removable members 7 will be permitted.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the free ends of the removable members are adapted to lie within the keepers 11, it being understood that owing to the inherent resiliency of the material of which the removable members are formed, .it will be necessary to contract or compress the members 7 toward the rigid members 5 whereby they may be inserted into the keepers remaining within the keepers under their tension as will be understood.

In operation, the free ends of the removable members 7 are removed from the keepers 11 whereby the fish may bestrung upon both the movable and the rigid members whereupon the removable members will be moved so as to have their free ends lie within the keepers 11 thus locking the fish upon the stringing elements and preventing the accidental removal of the same. It will thus be seen that I have provided a simple and eflicient means for supporting a plurality of fish and locking them upon the stringing elements so that the device may be suspended within the water without the accidental loss of the fish and furthermore that the fish may be conveniently carried by the handle 1 to permit the ready transportation of the fish from place to place.

It is thought from the foregoing taken in connection with the accompanying drawings', that the construction and operation of my device will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, that minor changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction may be Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A fish stringer comprising a single length of resilient wire bent intermediate its ends to provide a handle, the ends of the handle being twisted upon themselves to provide a shank, the free ends of the shank being extended at right angles to provid the ofi'set portions, the free ends of the offset portions being extended to provide the parallel spaced rigid members, a plate connecting themembers, the free ends of the rigid members being extended to provide the movable members, and a rigid wire having its intermediate portion twlsted about said shank, the opposite ends thereof terminating in reversely disposed keepers, said keepers ieceiving the free ends of the movable memers. I

2. A fish stringer comprising a single length of resilient wire bent intermediate its ends to provide a handle, the ends of the handle being twisted upon themselves to provide a shank, the free ends of the shank being extended at right an les to rovide the offset portions, paralle space rigid members formed integral with the olfset portions, the free ends of the rigid members being bent upon themselves to provide the movable members, and reversely disposed keepers formed on the shank of said handle and detachably receiving the free ends of the movable members.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' WILLIAM M. MIKELL. 

